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LANHAM, Md. (CBSDC) — Apparently the nation’s capital is also the capital of soccer in America.

Washington, D.C. soccer enthusiasts delivered ESPN the highest television ratings of any media market in the United States for Thursday’s World Cup opening match between Brazil and Croatia. The host country’s 3-1 victory did a 5.1 rating in Washington, slightly higher than second-place Boston’s 5.0, according to Nielsen ratings released by ESPN.

Nationally, the game had more than 4.4 million viewers and did a 2.8 rating, making it the highest-rated World Cup opener ever in America. The television audience was 55 percent larger than the 2010 opener between South Africa and Mexico.

According to ESPN, a record 1.1 million unique viewers streamed the contest online and on mobile platforms via the WatchESPN platform.